1. Field
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a connector, and more particularly to a backward compatible multichannel connector.
2. Introduction
Some military multichannel tactical radios may support simultaneous two channel audio communications. One problem is that there is a large number of existing single channel audio accessories that use a military standard 6-pin design (e.g., U-239 interface). A proprietary 11-pin audio connector prevents the use of standard 6-pin audio accessories, even when the user only needs to access one of the two audio channels. Another issue is if the 11-pin audio accessory breaks, the widely available 6-pin audio accessory cannot be used as a backup. Further, military users may also use the same 6-pin audio connector to connect to key fill devices that typically require a standard 6-pin U-239 interface. A non-compatible 11-pin connector would limit the acceptance of the two channel radio by users who have easy access to, and heavy investment in, existing 6-pin audio accessories.
Some solutions of the related art include multi-pin audio connectors that are able to support multiple channels. However, these connectors are not able to accept the standard audio accessory, and therefore have no backward compatibility.
Therefore, there exists an unmet need in the art for a multi-pin connector that supports multiple channels (e.g., audio, data) and is backward compatible with at least connectors that only support a single channel.